Video by Bill Sorem; Text by Michael McIntee and Bill Sorem

As Minnesota’s painful racial disparities, which Gov. Mark Dayton has pledged $100 million to address, have reached a crisis point, leaders of black communities from throughout Minnesota have come together to create a United Black Legislative Agenda for the 2016 legislative session and beyond. Leaders in the Black community unveiled the agenda and concrete recommendations during a press conference Wednesday.

As Minnesota’s painful racial disparities, which Gov. Mark Dayton has pledged $100 million to address, have reached a crisis point, leaders of black communities from throughout Minnesota have come together to create a United Black Legislative Agenda for the 2016 legislative session and beyond. Leaders in the Black community unveiled the agenda and concrete recommendations during a press conference Wednesday.

Video replay of news conference
Video at top: entire news conference

Video below: Highlights of news conference

Speakers include
-Steve Belton, Urban League
-Anthony Newby, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change
-Dr. Louis Porter II, Executive Director, Council of Minnesotans of African Heritage
-Jeff Hassan, African American Leadership Forum
-Wintana Melekin, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change
-Jason Sole, Minneapolis NAACP
-Asha Long and Mica Grimm, Black Lives Matter Minneapolis
-Mohamed Farah, Somali Community of Minnesota

Legislators in support of the United Black Legislative Agenda also spoke.